Speaking Of Schisms

by Chuck Ness

As I was enjoying a picture commentary about the time king Saul attacked David, I was given an insight I had never previously considered. It's a connection that ties Saul's attack on David and our Lord Jesus being confronted by the religious leaders for plucking kernels of grain to eat on the Sabbath. Jesus used the moment in history when David was fleeing Saul to teach the religious leaders about the true nature of the Sabbath as meant by GOD. Yet, when you consider all the factors involved in the two moments in history, you will learn that there is much more involved than just a lesson on the Sabbath. Like many portions of the Scriptures, GOD has hidden nuggets for us to find, and in this lesson we uncover the connection of two schisms and the fulfillment of a 20 year old prophecy.

A schism is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denominations. Weaved into the incidents of David and Jesus are two schisms where the ones in control lash out at God's anointed. Thus causing a schism that puts the very lives of GOD's chosen in jeopardy, while ultimately culminating in GOD's plan for mankind's salvation.

Usually when religious scholars speak of schisms they are referring to the two major divisions in Christendom. One occurred in 1054 and the other in the 16th century, we commonly refer to as the Protestant Reformation. The schism of The schism of 1054 was the result of many centuries of problems between the Western Latin-speaking Church and the Greek-speaking church of the East. Added into this mix is the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the late 5th century, while the Eastern Empire lasted till late in the 15th century.

The crumbling of the Western Empire left a vacuum of power and influence which the Bishop of Rome filled. In the East, the Emperor in Constantinople held power and thus influence over all matters they considered important to the Empire. The church leaders of the Byzantine Empire, were oftentimes forced to give way to the Emperor's wishes on matters considered important to the state. For them, even matters of the Gospel was their concern.

In the West however, it was only the Religious leaders who had a say in matters of the Gospel. Inevitably, major differences would bring things to a climax in 1054. This is when Cardinal Humbert, of Rome, entered the cathedral of Saint Sophia and declared that the Eastern Patriarch, Michael Cerularius and anyone who follows him, to be officially excommunicated from the church. As he walked out of the cathedral he shook the dust from his feet, and the schism between the West from the East was accomplished.

The next schism was the Protestant Reformation which would actually free the Gospel from the clutches of what became an unholy partnership between church and state that held sway of over 100 million people. A system that actually put to death anyone who possessed the Scriptures without their approval. Things became so confusing to GOD's people that they would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the Monarchies running the kingdom, and the religious leaders running the Roman Church.

While the Reformation truly began many years before Luther posted his 95 Theses, the fulfillment of John Hus's prophecy about the “Black Swan" became the final thread for a schism which shook the very foundation of Western Christendom. This schism led to millions being persecuted and murdered by the old entity that could not stand losing control of GOD's WORD or HIS people. I am of the opinion that the Protestant Reformation was a schism which GOD Himself moved to happen. In time many more, albeit smaller schisms, would be created because of evil men who are always looking for a way to supplant GOD's control over HIS people.

This brings me to the parallel lessons in the Scriptures of Matthew 12:1-8 and 1 Samuel 21:1-9. As I stated, when the Pharisees confront Jesus and His disciples for harvesting grain on the Sabbath, He teaches them a lesson that something greater than the Temple was there before them. This lesson included Jesus reminding them of the time David and his men ate the bread that was consecrated for the Temple at Nob. Weaved inside this connecting story of Jesus, David, and the Sabbath is another lesson many fail to grasp. It is my prayer that by bringing awareness upon it, others will stop and ponder what I share.

The reason David came upon the High Priest, Ahimelech, at Nob, was because he was on the run from Saul. We read in 1 Samuel chapter 20 that Johnathan met with David after he finally came to the realization that his father, Saul, truly did want to kill David.

Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.” Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.
1 Samuel 20:42

After pledging their oath to each other at the stone Ezel, David fled from Saul and was starving from having no food. So David arrives at Nob, which was set aside by GOD for the Levites, but at the time the Ark of the Covenant was still at Kiriath-Jearim (aka Baale-Judah). Now David asked for bread and the High Priest Ahimelech gave him bread sanctified but not yet placed into the Tabernacle.

Later when Saul found out the High Priest gave David food, he got angry, and the High Priest and others were killed along with ordering the city of Nob to be burned to the ground. In so doing he also ordered all the men, women, children, and infants, along with all the animals of the city slaughtered. Thus Satan put it in Saul's heart to murder the ancestor of mankind's eventual anointed Savior, by killing GOD's anointed King. So the schism officially started between Saul and God's anointed King.

Fast forward to the Pharisees confronting Jesus, because HE and HIS disciples were picking heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. They accused them of harvesting on the Sabbath, which was a tradition they created from bastardizing GOD's Law. Mind you, GOD never said they could not eat on the Sabbath, but the traditions put in place by the religious leaders turned gleaning a single kernel of grain to eat, into harvesting a crop.

1. Gleaning on the Sabbath is a problem in the Mishnah (traditions, not the Law)
   1. Mishnah: 39 shows us the actions prohibited on the Sabbath
   2. They turned gleaning for sustenance into harvesting by twisting what GOD had commanded
      1. The Bible states we are not to do ordinary work on the Sabbath
      2. Religious leaders sought to tell people what that meant
2. Disciples broke four laws of the Mishnah (Traditions)
   1. Reaping: became the simple plucking of grain
   2. Threshing: became the mere rubbing of grain in hands
   3. Winnowing: became an act of blowing away the chaff
   4. Preparing food; became the very act of eating the kernel of grain they just plucked

This incident, and the one later that same day when Jesus healed a man's withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath, was too much for the Pharisees to handle. This is when they began making plans to destroy GOD's anointed King. The schism between men's priests and GOD's anointed Priest had begun.

This was all set in motion from the moment GOD said, "Let there be Light." About 6,000 years later when LIGHT entered the World, men preferred the darkness, and set about to extinguish The LIGHT. Throughout the Scriptures, GOD reveals to us the schisms created by men who reject HIS anointed. I guess we could say that the first schism began when Eve bought into the first lie told to her by Satan.

"God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:5

Thus the original schism between man and GOD had begun. So too, Satan convinced king Saul to reject GOD and to destroy HIS anointed KING, David. Twelve hundred years later, priests appointed by men rejected GOD and went after HIS anointed KING, Jesus. A little over a thousand years after Christ was lifted like a snake in the desert, men rejected the truth’s of the Gospel and tried destroying Christ’s church by dividing it. Four hundred years after that schism GOD set in motion a schism that would destroy an unholy union between a Church/State system that kept those He came to die for from getting the truth of His WORDS.

Throughout history, we see GOD turning what men meant for evil, into a good thing. HE's continually turning a persecuting fire into one that purifies HIS people by separating the dross away from the pureness of HIS Church. A lesson to learn from schisms is that most times they end up making the true church stronger and from that strength positive growth follows.

Finally, as to the fulfillment of a 20 year old prophecy, which I alluded to at the beginning, I offer this bit that again shows how GOD's word will always come true. In the passage from 1 Samuel 2:31-33, we learn how the symbolic strength of Eli's arm will be destroyed and that his priestly family would be cut off, never again to have a descendant sit a High Priest. It was fulfilled by Saul wiping out the town of Nob. Abiathar, Eli's great grandson lived, but none of his children survived when Saul slaughtered the inhabitants of Nob. He would be the last of Eli's descendants to sit as High Priest, but he did not retire as High Priest, because he was rejected after supporting Absalom in his attempted coup over his father David.

Behold, the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house forever. But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age.
1 Samuel 2:31-33

Interestingly, the one who killed the High Priest and the other 85 priests was Doeg, an Edomite. He was also used by Saul to go after David, GOD's anointed. Similarly Herod The Great, was also an Edomite, who was sent forth by Satan to kill GOD's anointed child, Jesus. Many times we read in the Scriptures where Satan had moved an individual to stop GOD's anointed seed from fulfilling HIS destination as our eternal and forever Redeemer. Yet GOD thwarted Satan, time and time again.

Like nuggets in a gold mine, I am constantly blessed to discover more revelations every time I put my mental pickaxe to work on GOD's WORD. This is why it is incumbent upon every Christian to continue searching the Scriptures daily for the lessons and truth HE has weaved into HIS story from the beginning of time. After all, had the religious leaders truly delved into the Scriptures after they returned from their captivity, they would have known that GOD was with them when Jesus performed wonders and miracles. Sadly, instead of looking into the Scriptures for the Messiah of GOD's people as they should, (John 5:39) they were more interested in creating traditions that made GOD's WORD of no effect to HIS people. (Mark 7:13)

Finally, those who claim the Bible is just a story made up about fictional characters, will be hard pressed to find so many different writers over a vast amount of years, who could coherently weave together a story that spans twenty-five hundred years. Only a history based upon facts can have billions of ancient artifacts that support many different people from many different civilizations and cultures to seamlessly continue a story line with many different twists, turns, and schisms over six thousand years that truly makes them all work together for the fullness of times like GOD's WORD does.

I pray that those who have ears to hear will hear His voice and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen